1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for physical fitness training. More particularly, the present invention relates to the improvement of physical fitness in general, and body development in particular, by weight training. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved weight training device for use in conjunction with dumbbells and barbells.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The practice of exercising the body by means of weight training, both for its health and esthetic values, as well as for preparation for competition in the sports of weight lifting and body building, has long been followed by some athletes. More recently, the benefits and advantages of weight training as preparation for competition in sports other than weight lifting and body building have been recognized by professional coaches and trainers who now include weight training in their training programs whatever the sport and whatever the level of competition. At about the same time that the values of weight training were being recognized for the specialized athlete, a resurging interest in physical fitness occurred with respect to which the same benefits and advantages of weight training were also recognized.
As a result of this current wide range of interest in weight training, various types of weight training equipment have been developed which have received wide acceptance in many areas. Unfortunately, however, the high levels of sophistication and expense of such equipment usually restrict their installation to athletic clubs and facilities of well financed sports programs which are not readily available to many people. Accordingly, weight training is still practiced to a large extent in less sophisticated clubs and in the privacy of homes with equipment no more complicated than dumbbells and barbells, equipment which many, in any event, still consider more preferable for general physical fitness, as well as for preparation for weight lifting and body building competition.
In dumbbell and barbell weight training programs, a variety of weights are used in a variety of exercises each of which is designed to specifically develop, and enhance the appearance of, a particular muscle or group of muscles. One such exercise is referred to as the arm or biceps "curl", the purpose of which is to exercise and develop the biceps of the arm. In this exercise, the arm is caused to flex at the elbow so as to raise the forearm from a horizontal position to a vertical position while gripping a dumbbell of selected weight with the hand. This "curl" exercise can be practice by gripping a dumbbell in either hand separately or simultaneously, or by gripping a barbell with both hands. In practice, the exerciser usually conducts a number of "curl" repetitions, e.g., 8-10, which constitutes a "set", following which he completes similar "sets" of other exercises in his program each designed for a different muscle group, before returning again to the "curl" exercise. A number of "circuits" of the "sets", e.g., 3-4, usually constitutes a weight training program which is usually repeated three times a week.
In certain of the exercises usually included in a weight training program, the practice of the exercise often times places stress and strain on muscles of the body other than on the muscle or group of muscles that constitute the focus of the exercise. For example, in the "curl" exercise referred to above, considerable stress is placed on the wrist and forearm when flexing the arm, as well as on the fingers and palm of the hand simply by gripping the dumbbell. By virtue of these ancillary stresses placed on areas other than on the desired bicep of the arm, therefore, less than the full benefit that could be derived by the bicep muscle form the exercise is actually obtained. While this deficiency in certain weight training exercises has heretofore been recognized, there does not appear to have been any attempts made to alleviate the problem as, for instance, by providing some type of weight supporting device designed to lessen the ancillary stresses, as by being attached to the arm in the "curl" exercise. While there are in existence numerous types of devices for attachment to the arm, e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,038,925, 1,851,011, 2,929,372, 3,370,302, 3,911,497, 4,011,596, and 4,062,073, all of such devices are intended for uses in conjunction with activities other than, and unrelated to, weight training.